28th May 2026
Changes target skills shortages across construction, healthcare, transport, and agri-food sectors
Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke, and Minister of State with Special Responsibility for Retail, Small Businesses and Employment Alan Dillon, have today announced a series of updates to Ireland’s employment permits system to address ongoing skills and labour shortages across key sectors.
The measures are designed to support industries experiencing acute shortages across the EU construction sector, the healthcare sector, the transport sector, and the agri-food sectors.
A total of 32 changes to jobs eligible for an employment permit are now confirmed, following a comprehensive review that commenced in Summer 2025:
- 6 roles are recommended to be made eligible for Critical Skills Employment Permits (CSEPs)
- 9 roles are recommended to be made eligible for General Employment Permits (GEPs) (without quota)
- 2 roles are recommended to be made eligible for GEPs subject to newly established quotas
- 15 roles are recommended to have their existing GEP quotas renewed
The full report can be found here: Employment Permits Occupations Lists: Report of the Review 2025
The Government has also approved a proposal by Minister Burke to begin preparations to amend the Employment Permits Act 2024 with regard to the criteria that restricts the number of employment permits individual employers can hold (50:50 Rule). The “50:50 rule” means an employer must ensure at least 50% of its workforce are UK/EEA nationals. This is to implement findings of an internal review of the impact of this rule on the health and social care sector.
While the majority of sectors do not report issues meeting the 50:50 rule, the issues currently faced by the health and social care sector, including continuity of patient care, is of concern. In the case of Healthcare Assistants, in Nursing Homes, Disability Care, and Homecare flexibility within the 50:50 rule is required to sustain long-term care capacity and manage Ireland’s demographic and fiscal trajectory.
Minister Burke said:
“I am delighted to announce these changes today detailed to our employment permit system. These adjustments strengthen the agility and responsiveness of the system, while upholding safeguards such as Minimum Annual Remuneration thresholds, quota management and standard permit terms and conditions.”
“The additions to the Critical Skills Occupations List will support the sourcing of highly skilled international workers in a number of sectors including construction, infrastructure, the intellectual property sector
and the healthcare sector.”
Minister Burke continued:
“To assist with the ongoing skills and labour shortages in the construction sector in Ireland, I am announcing today that Construction Planner/Scheduler and Geospatial Surveyor (also known as Land Surveyor and Geomatics Surveyor) is being added to the Critical Skills Occupations List. This continues our department’s support of the delivery of the government’s multi-billion capital investment in the National Development Plan, and our ambitious home-building strategy, Delivering Homes, Building Communities. While we are prioritising skills progression, immediate and short-term measures are still required to address labour shortages.
“While a number of roles have already been made eligible for permits in previous reviews, evidence strongly suggests that skills and labour shortages remain in certain specialities within the construction sector. Therefore, a further 5 occupations in this sector are now eligible for a General Employment Permit, meaning that almost all occupations in the Construction sector are now covered. These new roles are Plastic Lining Technicians, Steel Fixers, Fencing Operators / Erectors, Curtain Wallers and Concrete Pump Operator.”
Minister Dillon added:
“These changes will promote a whole-of-Government, integrated approach to driving responsive economic migration policy and addressing labour and skills shortages as they arise. I am supporting a balanced approach that addresses short‑term labour shortages while reinforcing the State’s commitment to long‑term domestic skills development. Quotas have been applied to lower‑skilled roles to ensure migration complements, rather than substitutes for, training, apprenticeships, and upskilling measures.”
“These changes to eligibility align with broader activation and workforce strategies, including by maintaining a clear focus on building sustainable skills pipelines while enabling employers to meet needs that cannot be met rapidly within the State. We are seeking to provide employers with greater clarity and predictability for recruitment planning, while reinforcing a shared understanding among departments of how economic migration can support Ireland’s long‑term economic and social objectives”
Ends
Notes to the editor
Summary of recommended changes to the occupations lists
Occupations added to Critical Skills Occupation List:
- Agronomist
- Construction Planner/Scheduler
- Community Eye Care
- Intellectual Property Professionals
- Geospatial Surveyor (also known as Land Surveyor and Geomatics Surveyor)
- Riggers (within the Games Industry)
Occupations removed from Ineligible Occupations List, making them eligible for a General Employment Permit:
- Pharmaceutical Technicians (Healthcare specific)
- Dentistry - Dental Hygienist
- Plastic Lining Technicians
- Steel Fixers
- Fencing Operators / Erectors
- Curtain Wallers
- Printers
- Industrial Machine Knitter
- Concrete Pump Operator
Occupations eligible for a General Employment Permit under Quota
New Quota:
- Fish Filleters
- Seafood Operative
Renewed Quota:
- Hotel and accommodation managers and proprietors
- Restaurant / catering establishment managers and proprietors
- Publicans and managers of licensed premises
- Catering and Bar Managers
- Support Worker
- HGV/Bus Mechanics
- Car/ Motor Mechanic, Auto Electrician, Vehicle Technician
- Vehicle Body Builders / Repairers / Body Shop Panel Beaters
- Vehicle Paint Technicians
- Automotive Technician
- Butcher
- Home Support Services
- Meat Processor Operative (Dec 2025)
- Farm Workers - Dairy Farm Assistants (Dec 2025)
- Horticulture Operative
The employment permits system
Ireland’s policy is to promote the sourcing of labour and skills needs from within the workforce of Ireland, the European Union and other European Economic Area (EEA) states. Policy in relation to applications for employment permits remains focused on facilitating the recruitment from outside the EEA of highly skilled personnel, where the requisite skills cannot be met by normal recruitment or by training. Employment permit policy is part of the response to addressing skills deficits which exist and are likely to continue into the medium term, but it is not intended over the longer term to act as a substitute for meeting the challenge of up-skilling the State’s resident workforce, with an emphasis on the process of lifelong learning, and on maximising the potential of EEA nationals to fill our skills deficits.
The occupations lists
For the purposes of the employment permits system, occupations fall into three categories:
- Occupations listed on the Critical Skills Occupations List are highly skilled professional roles that are in high demand and are not always available in the resident labour force. Occupations on this list are eligible for a Critical Skills Employment Permit (CSEP) and include roles such as medicine, ICT, sciences, finance, and business.
- Ineligible occupations are those with evidence suggesting there are sufficient Irish/EEA workers to fill such vacancies. Employment permits are not granted for these occupations.
- Every other job in the labour market, where an employer cannot find a worker, is eligible for an employment permit. For these occupations, the employer is required to undertake a Labour Market Needs Test and if no-one suitable applies for the job, the employer is free to apply for an employment permit. Occupations such as these may be skills of a more general nature and are eligible for a General Employment Permit (GEP).
The review of the lists and public consultation process
In order to ensure that the employment permits scheme is responsive to changes in economic circumstances and labour market conditions, it is necessary to conduct periodic reviews of the Occupations Lists that incorporate a public consultation phase inviting submissions from stakeholders and industry. The review process utilises research undertaken by the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) and other experts in the labour market, including the Skills and Labour Market Research Unit (SLMRU) at SOLAS. It also involves input from other government departments and the Economic Migration Inter-Departmental Group. The current formal review process commenced with a public consultation from 26 June until 18 August.
An occupation may be considered for inclusion on the critical skills occupation list or removal from the ineligible lists provided that:
- shortage exists across the occupation, despite attempts by industry to train and there are no suitable Irish/EEA nationals available to undertake the work
- development opportunities for Irish/EEA nationals are not undermined
- genuine skills shortage exists and that it is not a recruitment or retention problem
- the government education, training, employment and economic development policies are supported
Restrictions to Grant under the Employment Permits Act 2024 – The 50:50 Rule
The 50:50 rule is a criteria under the employment permits legislation that requires at least 50% or more of the employees of an employer are Irish/EEA/UK/Swiss nationals in order to be eligible for the grant of any of the employment permit types. The ratio is calculated based on all employees of an employer regardless of their role or individual terms of employment. This measure enforces Union Preference and aims to address any potential concerns on the displacement of Irish workers.
With Ireland’s ageing population sharply increasing while the domestic labour supply is not keeping pace, critical sectors such as those providing healthcare services to the elderly and vulnerable members of our society are experiencing enduring worker shortages and unmet demand.
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